Från kunskap till handling för de Globala hållbarhetsmålen

Solution IT-Guide’s mission is twofold
We support young immigrants, as most of them never interact with Swedish natives outside of school and therefore have difficulties learning the language and about Swedish society. We also help seniors understand and benefit from IT trends.
The young immigrants and seniors meet at internet cafés and other meeting places, which is a good opportunity for elderly people who need help with specific technical issues or want to learn more about IT technology in general.
Helping two groups of people grow simultaneously creates a win-win situation, and we also provide an opportunity for interaction across generational boundaries. Next steps We want to reach more municipalities – our model is ready to scale.
Sustainable Development Goals IT-Guide contributes toward

SDG 1:No Poverty. Most young immigrants arriving in Sweden have no economic resources. By joining IT-Guide, they get paid to provide technical support to the seniors and simultaneously get introduced to their first job and inspired to continue their studies.

We also contribute towardSDG 3:Good Health and Well-being.

By introducing young immigrants to Swedish society and helping them understand the society they live in, we help improve their well-being and mental health. This contribution also has a wider impact, as the positive effects tend to spread to the young immigrants’ families. IT-Guide impactsSDG 4: Quality Education in several ways. When new immigrants join, they receive 30 hours of training where they learn to work together in teams dealing with technical challenges. Moreover, once they start as technology guides, they often want to learn more after every coaching session to be able to help the seniors with their technical problems.
The interaction between the elderly and the young immigrant includes a natural language component as well. As a long term impact, many of the guides get motivated to pursue a career in tech and take initiatives to hold their own courses not only to seniors but also to other immigrants in their own language.

Fifty percent of the immigrants with whom IT-Guide works are girls.
We ensure an equal gender representation in everything we do, from recruitment to coaching. Once new female guides are recruited, it is usually their first job opportunity in life. Moreover, as the genders are usually strictly separated in their home countries, this is also often the first time the boys and girls get to work I together in groups. The girls who are very active in IT-Guide as team leaders and coaches for other guides offer valuable inspiration to other immigrant women, encouraging those who have never been interested in IT technology to learn more about it. By doing all of this, we contribute toward SDG 5: Gender Equality. IT-Guide contributes to Goal 8:Decent Work and Economic Growth. When the young immigrants are new in Sweden, they need motivation to educate themselves, which can be very difficult. By providing them with a job and a purpose, their motivation to study increases. Our goal is for all guides to complete high school, which significantly improves their chances of finding employment. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities is at the very core of what we do.
We want all people to learn and be included in society through improved digital literacy. By learning more, both the IT-Guides and the elderly gain a better understanding of society. Central to this goal is also that IT-Guide serves as a meeting place for two groups of people that would otherwise not meet. By helping the immigrants earn an income, their economic inclusion is also improved.
IT-Guide impacts SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions in two ways.By training seniors, we increase their participation and access to information available online. In addition, the coaching gives the immigrants a chance to talk to seniors and gain information from them about how various things work in Swedish society

Positive indirect impact:

Integration Solutions Report May 2018, Gothenburg, Sweden
Main editors: Tove Andersson, Louise Lindén, Anna Nordén
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Northern Europe, hosted by Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg, in collaboration with Forum for Social Innovation and GU Ventures. Publication number: 2018:1